How should I adjust my laser tube for alignment?

[Josh Ledger]

Hello everyone! I just got my new 50w ebay laser in and got it all setup and went to check the alignment and noticed that the beam is hitting the first mirror very low. How should I go about adjusting my laser tube so that it hits in the middle of the first mirror? I have attached photos to show what kind of tube mounts my machine has.

I was thinking of loosening up the screws and adding a shim under the tube to raise it up as there isn't another way to adjust it. Is that the proper method for this type?

Any tips, tricks, or help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!
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[Bert Kemp]

Google how to align laser tube, you'll get video's on how to align everything up


Hello everyone! I just got my new 50w ebay laser in and got it all setup and went to check the alignment and noticed that the beam is hitting the first mirror very low. How should I go about adjusting my laser tube so that it hits in the middle of the first mirror? I have attached photos to show what kind of tube mounts my machine has.

I was thinking of loosening up the screws and adding a shim under the tube to raise it up as there isn't another way to adjust it. Is that the proper method for this type?

Any tips, tricks, or help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!
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[Jerome Stanek]

You will want to shim the tube at both front and back to keep it level

[Josh Ledger]

I shimmed it at the front and then when i checked my 2nd mirror front to back it was high/low. I will shim the back as well and that should take care of the high/low beam hits right?

[michael croft]

Hello everyone! I just got my new 50w ebay laser in and got it all setup and went to check the alignment and noticed that the beam is hitting the first mirror very low. How should I go about adjusting my laser tube so that it hits in the middle of the first mirror? I have attached photos to show what kind of tube mounts my machine has.

I was thinking of loosening up the screws and adding a shim under the tube to raise it up as there isn't another way to adjust it. Is that the proper method for this type?

Any tips, tricks, or help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!
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Hi Josh
Welcome to the world of chinese lasers :)

This you tube is a must for you https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqCyShJXqnElPTUnxX0mD5A

It was recommended to me and I learnt so much from him especialy lining up

One very big tip I can give you is that your 50 Watts is not 50 it is a 40 watt that will peak at 50 BUT you will be pushing it if you try to do this .

A good setting for say 3mm acrylic is speed 10 at 60%- 65% power.

If you are not getting that don't be tempted to up the power, instead you need to be looking at your cleanliness (Mirrors and lens) and alignments again.

Enjoy

Cheers Mike

[Jerome Stanek]

I guess what I was getting at is everything should be on the same plane. You don't want the beam coming out the tube on an up angle. I had that problem with mine and had to lower my tube just a tad.

[Josh Ledger]

Thanks guys. I will shim the back end of the tube tonight and see where that gets me.

I was aware of the over driven tubes in the chinese machines and plan on checking my mA following an instructable I found and see what my power supply is set to.

The weird thing about my machine is that it was supposed to be just a basic 50w machine with manual z table. I received my machine with a Reci tube in it and power z table. I'm not complaining though! Is there a way to check the authenticity of the Reci tube or just check my mA and that will let me know?

[Dave Sheldrake]

Is there a way to check the authenticity of the Reci tube

Easily

RECI tubes start at 80 watts :)

[Rich Harman]

I guess what I was getting at is everything should be on the same plane. You don't want the beam coming out the tube on an up angle. I had that problem with mine and had to lower my tube just a tad.

Everything must be on the same plane starting with the first mirror. The tube itself does not need to lie on that plane. The reason is that the first mirror can accept the beam coming from any direction. In other words, if your tube is at a slight up angle - that up angle will not propagate past the first mirror. The adjustment of the first mirror eliminates that.

If your first mirror had no up/down adjustments then you would need to orient the tube just exactly right in order for the beam to not rise or dip as it left the first mirror.

[Josh Ledger]

Oh haha. It's a nice looking sticker though! I got the machine aligned last night and cut my first thing! Thanks for the help guys!